Critical Analysis Of The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath

The three stories to be discussed in this essay are “The Bouquet” by Charles W. Chesnutt, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “Gimpel the Fool” by Isaac Bashevis Singer. It’s interesting to dissect these pieces of literature to see how they reflect the time period they were written in, by whom they were written, and if the stories they read have any abnormalities outside what is expected.

A teen named Melinda Sordino comes to high school feeling depressed and lonely. Her school friends hate her because she called the police during a summer party. However, no one knew that the reason she called was because she had been raped by Andy Evans. She refuses to speak to anyone about the events that took place. This novel connects to many teens who do not have the confidence to speak up for themselves, like Melinda. Furthermore, this novel talks about real world problems such as women empowerment, depression, and communication.

Published in 1963 under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, The Bell Jar has aroused the interest of scholars all over the world. One of the most often discussed characteristics of The Bell Jar is its use of similes, metaphors, and symbols. Throughout The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath employs rhetorical devices to paint a vivid picture of its protagonist Esther. This essay will discuss how Sylvia Plath uses figurative language to represent Esther’s feelings of insanity, anxiety, and freedom.

In “Initiation,” Sylvia Plath tells the story of a girl, Millicent, and her search for acceptance in the wrong place, and her eventual discovery regarding the importance of individuality. To accomplish this, Plath uses bird imagery, which chronicles Millicent’s transformation into one who values individuality as opposed to conformity. She uses “flock” to describe the sorority and club mentality portrayed in the piece, and “heather birds” to symbolize an individual. However, while these piece is grounded in a young girl’s search for acceptance, as evident in the words “Millicent had waited for acceptance, longer than most,” the piece can also be viewed as a microcosm of society. This is true as, similar to the sorority within the piece, the “select flock”, or the group in which most desire to be within larger-scale society, looks down on those who are “a bit too different,” a phrase which a member of the sorority uses to describe a girl who had not been chosen to join the

The story begins in Manhattan and Harlem, New York City. The story is mostly in a city lockup, or sometimes in the neighborhood where Steve Harmon lives. The conflict of the

She is a college student living in New York and has a job as a fashion magazine editor. The story begins to take a turn when Esther’s mental health problems begin to surface. She feels as though she lacks the happiness that society expects from her and also that she expects from herself. She begins to compare herself to others. Her friend, Doreen, has a great social life and is constantly with her boyfriend. She also distances herself from Betsy, who appears to friendly and cheerful. All the other girls in the hotel seem to be having the time of their life but Esther can't seem to enjoy herself. She returns home to find that she did not get accepted into a summer creative writing program and her depression heightens. She becomes frustrated with her sex life when she finds out her boyfriend cheated on her with a waitress. She feels suffocated by her depression and does not know how to deal with

Considered very significant to numerous people, happiness and external appearances plays a part in themes of various works. Therefore, these themes of people’s happiness and outward looks are usually ones that many people want to experience. Reading works with these themes can allow the reader to view the subject within the author’s point of view. Poems with these themes lets the readers understand the topic through new eyes, and they may even inspire the reader think about what is truly valuable in life. Two poems that share the themes of happiness and external appearances are Marge Percy’s “Barbie Doll” and Edwin Robinson’s “Richard Cory”. Through these themes of the poems, they show what the minds and lives of those whose lives revolve around

Imagining the Post-Antibiotics Future is an essay written by Maryn McKenna to emphasize focus on our lack of appreciation for what antibiotics have done for us and will continue to do for us, but only if we let them. She presents a very insightful and eye opening argument. She relies heavily on a very personal story as well as many facts and research to create such a convincing argument.

Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, and Kate Chopin’s The Awakening are novels that represent the traps that society has set forth for them. In both novels, suicide is seen as the only way to escape from their constricted circumstances in which these people are expected to live in. The Frome’s and The Pontellier’s have very similar circumstances, such as blaming each other for their problems, and having marriage’s which they are not happy in. “Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate.” (29, Chopin)

Society is slave to technology. As technology continues to advance we decrease our appreciation for the simple things in life. However, there are a few people left who enjoy the smaller things in life and choose to turn away from the “normal” of society. In Fahrenheit 451 we see these characteristics through both Clarisse McClellan and Mildred Montag.

From the age of eight until her death, Sylvia Plath struggled with mental illness. Along with frequent therapy visits, she wrote poetry to reflect the many events in her life. She wrote about everything, from the things that brought her great joy to the things that drove her to attempt suicide. One recurring topic of her poems is her father, Otto Plath, who she adored until he died of undiagnosed diabetes when she was eight. This event sparked a lifetime of depression and anger towards her father. It inspired her to write some of her most famous poems, one being called “Daddy.” She describes it as “an awful little allegory, in which the speaker of the poem felt compelled to act out” (Brown and Taylor 1). His death plants a fear of abandonment

The first step to acceptance is to acknowledge what the problem is, but Esther implies that all of her problems would be solved by death. One thing Esther could have done to try to live a normal life, would be to avoid blame. She would constantly find different people or reasons to her depression. Habitually, when a person is diagnosed with depression, they feel isolated and lonely. This would imply that having a loved one siding by them, would be therapeutic. Esther though, decides to push everyone away. Statistically, 10-15% if people diagnosed with depression, end their lives. 70-80% of the people that survive depression, tend to inform others about their difficulties or challenges. According to the last chapter of The Bell Jar, Esther hid her emotions, and how she truly felt, which caused people to believe that she is happy, but afterwards, she decided to end her life. She hides those emotions due to her lack of importance she gives herself. All she wanted in the end, was to be found dead. Esther said, "It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York." (Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar). Summer is usually a happy season, but she is too preoccupied by death to see so. When Esther described summer that way, we not only see summer as a death-oriented season, but we

In “Daddy”, poet Sylvia Plath uses imagery and allusion to show her bad relationship she had with her father, how her life was miserable while she was writing the poem, and blaming her father for her status by comparing her depression to the holocaust during World War 2, thereby suggesting that her pain is greater than a world catastrophe.

Purple Hibiscus, written by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, is a novel set in post-colonial Nigeria where the protagonist, 15-year-old Kambili struggles growing up torn between two contrasting beliefs; Igbo traditionalism and western Catholicism. Religion as many believe is the hope in a power greater than ones self. It is also a means of worship, moreover as means of people uniting together as one and believing in one God. Religion is a very important aspect and can certainly impact and influence a person’s mentality. Adichie uses two conflicting religions to show the development of Kambili’s character and maturity, as well as explore the tension that is forced unto the her throughout the novel.

A woman with an independent nature can be described as rebellious, passionate, and courageous. In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the reader is introduced to Edna Pontellier, a female who epitomizes the qualities of a woman with such an independent nature. Living in a “patriarchal society” that expects women to be nothing more than devoted wives and nurturing mothers, Edna attempts to seek out her true identity as it becomes apparent how unsettled she feels about her life. Throughout The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, dissatisfied with her duties as a mother and wife, decides to pursue her own interests and express her true identity, resulting in an awakening and her finding the courage to make the changes she deems as necessary.